A Court of Mystery and Retrospect
by shootingstarx7
Summary: Astrid, daughter of Feyre and Rhysand, mysteriously vanished as a toddler and appeared in a completely different world: our world. She grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania, longingly stargazing, without knowing her true identity. However, after narrowly escaping death, she returns to Prythian. What will she discover about her disappearance and the family that she left behind? Pls R&R
1. Chapter 1

_Hi everyone. I was let into the world of ACOTAR by my best friend, who bought me the first book for Christmas. After whipping through the first few books, I could not let the story die. I had to write a fanfic about it or I would go raving mad in anticipation of the new book. However, I wanted to deviate from the actual storyline because (1) there are a lot of specifics in these books that I do not want to mess up and (2) I know that there's another book coming out soon. I hope you all enjoy! Please leave me a review. -Sarah_

Chapter 1.

The warm breeze gently pressed against my limbs and rippled the grass surrounding me as I gazed up at the night sky. Idly, I sat up checked my surroundings. Were it not for the rare occasion of a meteor shower, I wouldn't have ventured out into this cornfield. I silently begged with every fiber of my being to be able to enjoy the falling stars uninterrupted as my eyes roamed the farmland around me. The coast was clear. No roving animals. And none of my brothers had come to drag me kicking and screaming back to the house. I sighed and laid back on the matted cornstalks.

My heart lurched as the first star was gracefully pulled down to the horizon. Soon enough, meteors flooded the inky darkness, as though a faucet had been turned on. A warm, fuzzy feeling pulsed through me, as it typically did on occasions such as this. I'd tried to equate it to words, and failed many times. It felt almost like a soft glow would feel, or how subtle happiness would appear. I smiled to myself, taking it all in.

I was a toddler when I was found in this very cornfield. I could hardly walk, had oddly pointy ears and I could only say a few "strange words" or so I am told. Most commonly, I aggressively corrected others to call me Astrid, which had been assumed to be my name. I was raised here in rural Pennsylvania, among a family of farmers. I'd been loved, and given a wonderful life, but a part of me always felt as though there was somewhere else I belonged or some higher purpose or direction that I lacked. Staring at the stars somehow seemed to fill a piece of this void, at least temporarily.

Here, I lay, in the small crater where I had ended up (where corn had since been regrown), no longer a toddler, but still gazing at the night skies with the eyes of one. I was eighteen, and restless. The stars gave me hope that I would someday solve the mystery that had eluded me my entire life, or to maybe at least escape the confines of this small rural village.

Thankfully, the shouts and calls of my family held off until the meteor shower had ended. Their shouts cut through the serene night like swords through cloth. " _Astrid,"_ My brother Hal said quietly, as he came up beside me, "There you are,"

"You found me," I muttered, shrugging to my feet. Deep down, I realized how predictable I was. I was the family astronomer. There was no way I was going to miss a meteor shower on a blissfully clear night in mid spring. I even hunkered down in the same crater in which I'd been discovered.

"It wasn't too hard," Hal joked with a smirk, "You haven't picked a new hiding spot since I've known you."

We shared a laugh, and he helped me maneuver out of the maze of stalks. He pulled out his phone and dialed the home number. "Mom?" I could hear him say as I wandered back toward the house, Hal trailing behind, "Yeah… I found Astrid… Same place as usual… I think she just wanted to see the stars… Yeah… We're on our way back… Okay… Bye."

Hal broke into a slight jog to catch up to me. "So, Strid, how was the show?"

I grinned slightly. "Excellent," I didn't need to explain it further.

"It better have been," He teased, "Because you're going to catch hell for sneaking out again. I don't think you'll be seeing the stars for a while," He chuckled.

"Worth it," I responded, although in truth, nothing that barred me from the night sky was really worth it in my eyes.

In a matter of minutes, we reached our farm house, the old, borderline dilapidated monstrosity that had graced the land of Strong Farm for nearly as long as it had existed. (Whenever that was.) I let Hal lead me into the living room, lest I walk in head first to a firing squad.

My mother was seated on the couch in the living room, frazzled. My father sat beside her with a stern look of disappointment stretched across his face. Hal silently showed himself out, strategically joining my other brothers in the kitchen. _Lucky him._

"Sit," My father ordered. His one word commands were only unveiled when he meant business. I sat on the chair across the room; the one that was the furthest away from them. And for good reason.

"What did we tell you about sneaking out?" My mother began. "Going unaccounted for is how you get yourself killed,"

"I was just in the cornfield," I attempted to defend myself calmly, "I wanted to see the meteor shower." I doubted that there were any rabid animals or serial killers that would have destroyed my plans. I was too close to the house.

"We understand that," My father said diplomatically, "But…" I knew there was a 'but' coming. "It is still unsafe for you to be leaving the house at night without our permission. Understood?"

"Understood," I unwillingly agreed.

"Now go to bed," Mom said, "And know that you are grounded for the next few days."

I groaned. Really? All I needed was to be on house arrest while the school year was coming to an end and the weather was ideal.

"You are to go to school and come straight back," My father elaborated. I nodded and retreated up the stairs to my bedroom.

Once I crossed the threshold, I immediately flung myself onto my small bed, shoes and all. I laid on my back, gazing at the neon glow-in-the-dark stars that were stuck to my ceiling, imagining that they were the real thing. When this failed to suffice, I pulled off my sneakers, changed into my sweatpants and a t-shirt, set the alarm on my phone, and climbed into bed.

That night I had a reoccurring dream. I typically experienced a dream similar to this whenever I witnessed a meteor shower.

Night had fallen in a strange and unfamiliar land. People surrounded me. _Happy_ people. Or maybe they weren't _people._ Some of them were flying. Some of them were _glowing._ A few of them had wings.

They were standing on some sort of stone terrace, overlooking an expansive and glimmering city. A woman with soft blue eyes and golden brown hair was dancing with a tall, dark-haired man with violet eyes. They were happy and carefree in the moment, although it was evident that they had seen harder times.

Stars fell from the sky. Except the stars weren't solid. They were _liquid-_ occasionally sticking to the faces of spectators, evoking laughter. The man and the woman held hands solemnly, and gazed into each other's eyes, as a tear slipped from the woman's eye….

That is when I was jarred awake by the inevitably harsh reality that is cell phone alarms.

I groaned, and launched myself out of bed, stopping the awful sound that I'd once deemed gentle enough to wake me up. I was not a morning person. As usual, I was chronically late this morning to top it off. In fact, I was more late than usual.

Realizing that I only had ten minutes to get to a school I lived fifteen minutes away from, I quickly rushed to my closet and threw on the first clothes I could find: a maroon novelty t-shirt that proudly stated "Normal People Scare Me" with jeans and my blue sneakers. I grabbed my bag and my keys and sprinted out the door, on the way, shouting my goodbyes to my parents.

I drove a tiny blue sedan. It was on its last legs, but it made no difference to me when I thought of all of the freedom it afforded me. I started the car, put it in drive, and sped down the driveway en route to my school. I began to flip through radio stations waiting for an acceptable song to come on.

I was not into country. Heavy metal only occasionally didn't jar me. I was not into the top 40 hits. Frustrated, I opted to watch the farms blur by me in silence.

I sped along, faster than the posted speed limit in the hope that I would make it to school faster. I leaned down to grab the coffee my parents had allowed me to grab before rushing out the door, hoping to multi-task when…

It all happened so quickly.

I looked up to find that a car had attempted to turn left in front of me, cutting me off. They didn't have enough time to do this. We were going to collide. I screamed, dropping my coffee, as I threw all of my weight onto my awful brakes. I closed my eyes in my fear. I wanted to will myself away from this situation. Away from my terrifying fate of painful death that loomed ahead. _Please. Please. Let me get out of this alive. Somehow._ I thought of stars and planets, hoping that there was some kind of higher power that could save me now. _Let me be among you,_ I silently begged, expecting the impact.

But the impact never came.

Instead, it felt as though I was traveling along a long, folded, piece of cloth. I felt myself hit the ground, but before I could become confused, everything went black.

I opened my eyes, groggily, to find a massive man with wings and a ton of weapons standing over me. I gasped in my surprised fright. "Wh…where…?" I began, but I was soon interrupted.

"Where do you come from?" The voice asked firmly. I sat up, and looked around, clutching my aching temple. There was another winged figure in our midst, but I could not distinguish his details right away.

"P-Pennsylvania," I choked out, trying to relax my breathing. His eyes widened.

"Az?" He asked, trying to conceal the nerves in his voice. The man called "As" approached me now, for future questioning.

"Where is this…Penns…" He tried to pronounce it and failed. Come on. How could they not know where Pennsylvania was?

"Pennsylvania," I corrected gently, and he nodded. I smiled, hoping that this was a joke. "It's in between New Jersey and Ohio, basically. Or New York and Maryland if you want to think of it that way," I laughed nervously, hoping they'd join in.

The two men looked at me as if I had three heads. "A-are you okay?" I asked nervously. They didn't respond. They just exchanged a glance. Fear filled my entire body. As I looked around, I realized that these trees… this land was not like Pennsylvania at all. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen.

It hit me. I was not home.

"W-where am I?" I asked, my heart beating out of my chest.

Their eyes grew impossibly wide as if they could not believe that I was asking this question. "Prythian," The first winged man answered.

I did not remember this from geography class. _"Where?"_ I was in a full blown panic now. I began to hyperventilate.

"Oh…" The second winged man cursed nervously as he kept me from passing out again. "Oh… _cauldron!"_ He tried to bring me to my feet. "Cassian, grab her!" He instructed. As I caught a glance at my hand, I realized that there was a tattoo that I did _not_ remember getting. It was a mountain with three stars. I screamed.

" _What?"_ Cassian asked, nearly dropping me as he took me in his arms.

"M-my _hand_ ," I exclaimed, too bewildered for real words.

He replied, uninterested, as he looked at my hand. "What about your hand?"

Then he saw it and saw it too.

"H-how is this possible?" The man called Az asked Cassian in a low voice.

"I was wondering the same thing," I rambled, "One minute I was driving to school and the next, I wake up in the woods with some tattoo I do _not_ remember asking for…"

They looked at me like I was speaking gibberish.

"We need to get her to Feyre and Rhys," Az said, and I felt Cassian's grip around my waist tighten.

"Who…?" I began to ask, but then we shot into the sky. I screamed my head off. Cassian was stone-faced when I looked up at him. But I could see a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Where are you taking me?" I shouted up at him through the wind.

"To the High Lord and Lady," He responded, 100% serious.

My jaw dropped. _"The what?"_ He never responded.

We landed outside of a mountainous cave. A cave that seemed to lead underground. I never liked dark places, or being underground. I flinched.

"Come on," Cassian prompted, leading me inside after Az.

The inside was terrifying. "Welcome to Hewn City," Az announced, as he lead us past unhappy looking people filling a dark, cavernous municipality. I shivered. I would do anything to be in English class at this moment, but even that thought seemed trivial.

I was led into a large room that looked like a throne room. What gave that away were the two marble thrones sitting in the center of the room, with a crowned man and woman sitting on each. My eyes widened at the sight of them. They were the couple from my dream. I could almost picture them dancing as the stars fell around them…

Even as I'd barely entered the room, as I thought this, the man's eyebrows raised. It was like he knew that I'd dreamed of them. I was placed directly in front of them. I watched as the woman tried to conceal her disbelief in seeing me, as I stood there, trembling. The man, who seemed unfazed, looked at me closely before standing to approach me. He stood in front of me, and I could feel his power. Something primal in me told me to stay stark still as he took inventory of my dark, black hair, my blue eyes, by awful posture… and then… Then, he took my hand.

Even he couldn't conceal his surprise. He paused for a second, and I could see the woman nodding in my periphery vision. And then, we teleported out of there. The sensation felt the same as I'd felt when I'd escaped my firey death in the car… like a cloth, folding. Except this time, it took seconds for us to reach our destination.

This destination was far less menacing. It was an open-aired building with white, marble pillars. It looked like a fancy home. The man silently directed me to take a seat on one of the oddly shaped chairs, which seemed to accommodate wings… And speaking of, Cassian and Az flew in minutes after we appeared here.

The woman sat beside me. She was trying to hold in some kind of emotion, but I could not tell what. Surprise? Disbelief? Relief? Her eyes locked with mine. "I am Feyre, High Lady of the Night Court," I nodded, still in shock. "What is your name?" She asked me.

"Astrid Strong," I replied uneasily, "F-from Lysteria, Pennsylvania,"

Her eyes widened. "How did you get here?" She asked, her voice lowered.

I nervously pushed my hair behind my ears. "I-I don't know," I attempted to explain. "I was late for school and I-I was driving too fast, and I almost d-died and then suddenly, I disappeared and woke up on the forest floor."

The man spoke from across the room. "What magic do you know, Astrid?" He asked firmly, implying that he could sense some sort of otherworldly power in me.

" _M-magic?"_ I wanted to think this was a joke. But deep down, I knew it was gravely serious. "Magic isn't real," I said confidently.

Confusion seeped through the entire room. The man stood slowly to approach me. "Magic is _very_ real," He clarified, almost seeming insulted that I did not know this. Still, he reached for my tattooed hand. "I am Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court." He said. "Welcome,"

"W-why are you so transfixed with my hand?" I asked reflexively, and then realized that I was talking to the rulers of whatever land this was, and added "I-if you don't mind me asking."

"Feyre and I lost a daughter a few long years ago during a great War," He explained solemnly. Glancing at her and then back to me. "She bore the same mark as you."

The room started spinning. "W-what are you saying?" I asked.

"Astrid," Feyre said with a soft smile, "You have finally come home."


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Rhysand was pacing the room in his frustrated confusion. I knew that this was not directed _at_ me, but I could tell that I was the root of it. He wanted to know where I'd come from and why as much as I wanted to know where I had ended up.

"So, what you're telling me," I said quietly, "Is that there was this magical war," Feyre nodded for me to continue, "and when I was a baby, some king threw me into a cauldron and _that_ is why I grew up in Pennsylvania," My voice was quiet and monotone. The scenario sounded more ridiculous when I said it out loud than it did inside my head.

"That is what we believe," Feyre responded. There was a troubled look on her face. I'm sure there was a twisted up, confused look on mine, too.

"Huh," I said aloud, and I pinched myself to make sure that this wasn't a dream. I was met with searing pain from the muscles in my wrist that I forgot that I'd landed on. I bit down on my lip. Nope, this was definitely real.

Rhysand looked in my direction as if he was trying to decipher why I would have purposely attempted to injure myself. With a sigh, he returned to his pacing.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked him, amazing myself with my bravery. He bit his lip as he thought for a moment, still pacing. Cassian and Az, whom we'd forgotten were still silently among us, took a seat at the table on the far side of the room.

"I am thinking about how there is another world," Rhysand said breathlessly, amazed. "I do not know how it is possible that we could not have known," He took a long look at my t-shirt. I'd forgotten that it boldly read 'Normal People Bore Me' upon reading it, he chuckled. I crossed my arms nervously, covering it up as if to hide it from his scrutiny.

"What was it like in that world?" Feyre asked me, adventurous curiosity lighting her eyes. Cassian and Az were now tuning in as Rhysand joined them at the table.

Where would I begin? How could I explain a world that was normal to me but completely foreign to them? "Uh…" I stumbled, trying to think of a way to begin. "I grew up on a farm. My family…found me in a cornfield. Last night, I got in trouble for sneaking out at night to watch shooting stars. " A laugh from Rhysand, "And there is no magic,"

Rhysand raised an eyebrow. "At all?" He asked and I nodded once. He was skeptical. "How do people get by?"

I shrugged. "How do people get by _here?"_ I added this part under my breath. And then I remembered. Oh, right. Magic _. Duh._ Feyre and Rhysand attempted to conceal identical grins. Could they hear what I was thinking?

As I folded my hands on my lap, I realized that my phone was somehow still in my pocket, even after all of this. A light bulb popped into my head. "I could show you," I said, eyes full of wonderment as I pulled the device out of my jean pocket. Everyone in the room tensed up as if it was some kind of weapon.

My face flushed red as I watched four pairs of eyes staring at the brick of glass and plastic that lay dormant in my right hand. "It's just a phone," I clarified, but was met with more stares. "A telephone…?" I shot out into room, but nothing. They didn't know what a cell phone was. They never used a telephone. What _was_ this place?

I decided that I should probably explain. "It's not a weapon," I began, and the amount of tension, though still present, lessened. "It's a communication tool. Basically a small computer," Still nothing. I shrugged. "It allows people to talk to each other no matter where they are. And I can take pictures on it," I opened my phone's camera application and displayed a few artifacts of my life… or my life as it _was._

"Here's my house," I said to Feyre, as she looked on, "And my car. Well… _before the accident …"_ I shuddered as I thought of the impact that nearly killed me and _should_ have. Rhysand tensed as well. He was definitely inside my head somehow. I didn't think either of them had ever seen a car. I pressed on anyway. "That's me and my brother, Hal. He's my best friend…" Rhysand materialized behind me, and looked over my shoulder. "And that's the cornfield where I escape to…where I was found."

" _In all my years…"_ Rhysand murmured, perplexed. Feyre looked between us without words.

"I…guess we have a different sort of magic," I muttered to myself, referring to technology that I typically took for granted. They'd never seen cars or phones or… I didn't know what else, but they were still seemingly happy. Perhaps they were happier than I was. I turned my phone off so that I could conserve battery, to look at my pictures if I was truly stuck here and ever became homesick.

We sat in silence for a long moment before a woman burst into the home. She was out of sight, but we could still hear her voice clearly from the other room. "Ugh, where _is_ everyone?" She asked, loudly. "Cauldron… it's like someone _died_ in here!" She exclaimed this upon entering the room where we were seated, as she observed the silence. Then she saw me.

Immediately, she turned to Rhysand. "Rhys…" She said breathlessly, as if she were mid gasp, and turned to Feyre for her next question. "Is… is this…"

"Astrid," I said, not really knowing what gave me the urge to introduce myself. "M-my name is Astrid Strong," I extended my hand for her to shake it, but either she was too overcome to take me up on it, or this was not a custom in this strange place. I could not tell.

 _"_ _Is it really?"_ She asked no one in particular. She looked to Cassian and Az who were still seated at the table. They simply shrugged. She sat down on the couch across from me, beside Rhys.

"She has Astrid's mark," Rhys explained, indicating the palm of my hand, which I gingerly showed her.

"But how?" The woman asked, thinking out loud, "The King of Hybern…. The _cauldron_ …" She turned to me, quickly realizing how uncomfortable I was becoming.

"Oh, _Astrid_ ," She said, acknowledging my presence in during this awkward conversation. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable," She smiled slightly, which was somewhat surprising, seeing that every other part of her appeared to make up an uncompromising, lethal warrior. "My name is Morrigan. I'm assuming you don't remember. You may call me Mor, as everyone else does,"

"Mor is a part of our Inner Circle," Feyre explained to me in a hushed tone, "She is our third in command here at the Night Court."

I nodded. I'd somehow forgotten that I was allegedly the offspring of two magical rulers.

"Don't you dare forget us," Cassian piped in from the table where he'd been eavesdropping. A sly smile stretched across his face.

Feyre rolled her eyes. "Cassian and Azriel are our fourth and fifth in command." She muttered this, feigning annoyance. Cassian smirked in appreciation, while Azriel nodded. Idly, I wondered who was the second in command in this Inner Circle, but I did not have the courage to ask. I was too overwhelmed to allow my mind to wonder any further.

"Are you hungry?" Rhysand asked me, his violet eyes still studying me. "We will be having dinner soon in our home. You would be welcome to join us of course."

 _"_ _This_ isn't your home?" I asked, trying to conceal my apprehension. The images of Hewn City flooded my mind. I really hoped that they didn't live in that terrible place.

Rhysand smiled. "Technically, yes, this is one of our homes. But we spend most of our time in Velaris, the City of Dreams."

Okay, that didn't sound too bad, right? I was still tentative and scared out of my wits. But City of Dreams had a nice ring to it. Rhysand tried suppress a chuckle. Feyre glared at him as if to tell him to exit my mind.

"You can hear everything I'm thinking," I said slowly, in a monotone voice, surprised at my own gusto. "…can't you?"

Cassian burst into laughter. "She caught you, Rhys," He bellowed. In response, Rhysand rolled his eyes and looked back in my direction.

"I can enter your mind," He confirmed, and I felt a shiver go up my spine. I knew that he sensed my fear, and it annoyed me. He attempted to conceal a small grin. "You can feel it, can't you?"

I nodded. I could feel it in my bones. It was as if my body was telling me that something was not right. I stared down at my hand that seemed to almost glow. This definitely had something to do with whatever magic trick Rhysand was pulling.

"You're catching on," He observed, still grinning, but openly now.

"I would like to know what I am catching onto," I said firmly, but to no avail.

A tense silence polluted the air. "I'm hungry," Mor announced. I wasn't sure if she was being truthful, or if this was her way of trying to divert the tension. "I'm leaving. I don't care if I have to eat alone. I'll meet you at the House of Wind." She stood, and looked around as if she was expecting the rest of the circle to follow suit. Her eyes rested on me.

"It was an honor to meet you again, Astrid." She said to me, with sadness in her eyes and in her voice. And then she disappeared into thin air. My jaw dropped.

 _"_ _How did she do that?"_ I breathed, my hand covering my dropped jaw.

Cassian suppressed laughter as he stood from his seat at the table. Feyre shot him a sharp glare before she responded to me. "We will teach you when you're ready," She assured me, and instructed me to take her hand, as we, too, disappeared into thin air.

I sat quietly at the long table, wishing that I could somehow seep into the wall. Surrounded by a flurry of vibrant personalities, I was struggling to keep up. I sat, clutching my crossed arms close to my chest, trying not to appear as petrified as I felt. My bottom lip was beginning to feel numb from the pressure caused by my teeth bearing down on it. My plate sat untouched in front of me.

"We're not going to poison you," Cassian pointed out, a sly smirk stretched across his face. I shifted in my seat, managing a small smile.

Amren, whom I'd met only twenty minutes ago, and who thoroughly scared the crap out of me for some reason that I was unaware of, turned to Cassian. "She is clearly overwhelmed," She told him as if I were not sitting directly across the table. "Let's not send the young one into a panic,"

Feyre and Rhysand exchanged a meaningful glance. Azriel silently observed their exchange, and glanced in my direction, taking inventory of my response. A regularly chatty Mor was now silent.

Rhysand set his fork on the table, at a loss for words. I breathed deeply, attempting to offset the panic that now filled my brain. My mind was overflowing with a flurry of fears and memories, and I felt out of control. What if I _had_ died in that fiery car accident and this was just some kind of warped unconscious delusion? I was filled with fear and pain at the thought of never seeing the farm, or my family ever again.

The mark on my hand felt warm and that was when I looked up at Feyre and Rhysand. I knew that they had experienced my whole mental tirade, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. A wave of embarrassment washed over me temporarily distracting me from the fear generated by the realization that I was probably dead.

Feyre stood and extended her hand toward me. "Come Astrid," She instructed, "I think we should take a walk."

Still shaking from my anxiety attack, I stood, knowing that fresh air would probably be beneficial for me in my current state. And if I had already died…well, then what was I afraid of?

I followed Feyre through a set of double doors, and we stepped out into the night. My breath was immediately caught in my chest as I absorbed my surroundings. My heart raced. As Feyre placed her hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture, I attempted to explain what I was experiencing.

"I-I," I choked out, "I've seen this place before." I said this breathlessly as I gazed at the multitude of stars that shone in an incredible way that I had never witnessed before.

Feyre looked as though she was about to burst into tears of relief. But, like the warrior she was, she concealed her emotions and simply nodded.

"I've seen you and Rhysand here," I continued, exasperated, "In my dreams…"

"You have," Feyre repeated, with a hint of surprise in her voice. "What were we up to?" She asked this with a faint smile.

"You were surrounded by other people," I closed my eyes as I said this, showing her the memory of my vivid dream. "And there were stars falling from the sky…liquid stars…" I trailed off, showing her the image of the star goop falling onto her face, and Rhysand wiping it away.

"The bond," Feyre said slowly, with a confused smile, "It must have still been working between our worlds." Bond? What bond? I thought frantically.

Feyre took my hand and set her finger on the design in my hand. "When you were born," She explained solemnly without taking her eyes off of the bond tattooed into my palm, "A magical bond was created between you, your father, and I."

I shivered. "So, is that why you and Rhysand can read my mind?"

Feyre chuckled. "Partly, yes." '

I leaned over the balcony, looking over at what Rhysand had described as the City of Dreams. Its expanse was beautifully lit up, like any city that I'd ever been to, but the light that came from the numerous homes looked almost as vibrantly beautiful as the stars in the sky.

This beautiful place was quickly ruined by my memories of the underground city. I watched Feyre's expression twist into one of concern as I recalled this. I knew that she had heard me. "Why did you take me there?" I asked aloud.

It was at this convenient moment when Rhysand, my alleged father, appeared beside me on the balcony so that I was now sandwiched between my birth parents.

"We are not horrible creatures," Rhysand said with a blank expression, overlooking his city. "But to keep all of this safe," He waved his hand over the balcony, indicating the peacefully sleeping expanse below, "we need to make it seem as though we are to outsiders. I resent that this included you, my daughter."

I looked at him, speechless, not quite understanding why he would need to scare the daylights out of strangers to keep a city safe. The second thing that caught me off guard was his use of the word "daughter." That part hadn't quite hit me yet.

He laughed, obviously still inside my mind. "You will understand eventually," He promised. After a moment of silence, he placed his hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture. "I'm sorry that we scared you," He said. "I know that this is a terrifying experience for you. We don't want you to be afraid,"

I didn't want to be afraid either, clearly. I gazed out over the city once more, and smiled slightly, trying to see the silver lining. "It's beautiful up here," I noted. "I've never seen anything like this," I added. It wasn't a lie.

"You have," Rhysand assured me, "You just don't remember."

I looked at him incredulously.

"We used to take you out here every night when you were small," Feyre explained with a smile, and suddenly my mind was overtaken by the image of an energetic toddler with whispy black hair and pointed ears, running around this very balcony, being chased by Cassian and two other women who looked like Feyre, before finally being scooped up by Mor as Feyre and Rhysand looked on.

"That…was…" I said slowly, still observing the images, "That's _me?"_ The little girl was sending small sparks of light out of her fingertips that illuminated the sky like fireworks.

I stared down at my own hands, snapping out of the vision.

"That was you," Feyre confirmed, "And now you see why we are so happy to have you back with us once again,"

Still staring at my hands I fought back tears. I felt so conflicted. I no longer knew who I was. I missed my family and my home in Pennsylvania… but now I found myself missing the parts of me that I never knew existed. I yearned to discover what I was capable of in this new world, and could feel the love for me radiating off of my parents as we stood in silence. In that moment I was sure that I trusted them, even though I wasn't completely cognizant of why this was the case.

"So… if you trust us now," Rhysand said feigning arrogance, "You should eat."

"Get out of my head," I muttered, grinning. It was said as a joke, but with serious undertones.

"Point taken," Rhysand responded, and I felt his and Feyre's energy leaving my mental stream.

"I am pretty hungry, though," I conceded. Rhysand let out a laugh.

"The offer has expired," He responded, and I appreciated that we shared a similar sense of humor.

Feyre pushed him lightly. "That's not true," She said, rolling her eyes. "Come, Astrid, let's go back inside."


	3. Chapter 3

3.

The following morning I was awoken suddenly, startled by my unfamiliar surroundings. I sat up stark straight in the strange bed, my hand clutched to my chest. I gasped as I scrambled to re-acclimate myself to the new world that I had somehow fallen into. The tattoo on my right hand began to pulse, as if someone was tugging on a long rope that ended in my palm. Bewildered, I pulled my bewitched hand away from my chest, unconsciously observing how it seemed to glow in the dim light of dawn.

I reached for the glass of water on the eloquent bedside table to my left and sipped from it. After setting it back down where it belonged, I leaned against the elegant headboard, and pulled the hood of my sweatshirt over my face, hugging my knees close. _This is not really happening,_ I willed myself to believe, _You're probably just in a coma._

"A coma…" Rhysand's quiet voice caught me off guard. It sounded as though he'd never heard of the medical term. I slowly pulled the hood away from my eyes and stared at him incredulously from where he stood in the doorway. He was grinning; and I was at a loss in trying to figure out how he could be so sly and cunning but also sad and somber all at once.

"Don't attempt to injure yourself again," He ordered in mock condescension. "You're not dreaming, and _thankfully,"_ He paused for a second, taking a seat at the end of my bed, "you are very much alive." There was a note of disbelief in his voice that somehow alluded to the many years he and Feyre were led to believe that I had been brutally murdered.

I let out a single dry chuckle. I figured that I must have inherited his dark sense of humor or else I wouldn't have found that remotely entertaining. Rhysand's expression twisted. He had heard that.

"You know what they say about eavesdroppers…" I recited, invoking the memory of my mother-well, adopted mother-scolding me from the adjacent room after I had been listening in on a conversations I was not supposed to hear.

Rhysand looked puzzled. "No I do not," I had almost forgotten that the colloquial sayings that I had grown accustomed to were not relevant in this world.

I sighed, giving him my own cunning grin nonetheless. "They never hear what they want to hear," I explained. "That's what they say about eavesdroppers."

"That's not entirely true," Feyre said, now entering, a smile stretched across her face as she joined us. She was dressed in hunting gear. For a moment, I was completely intimidated, but regained my composure before anyone noticed. She sat next to Rhysand. "Eavesdropping is quite informational. We have gotten a wealth of information from listening in on you already." Oh, so she had the dark humor gene as well… interesting.

I didn't laugh at her off-color joke. Thinking of the fact that they were constantly invading my mind made me uneasy. I felt their energy retreat from my mind. I relaxed a little bit. This did not go unnoticed. My alleged parents exchanged a glance, poorly concealing their worry.

I was so overcome with my newfound anxiety that I wished that I could just disappear. With all my might, I willed myself to vanish from sight. I wanted to be anywhere than in this awkward silence. I was caught off guard when I felt myself traveling across an imaginary rope once again, and even more thrown off when I hit the ground.

Oops.

Groggily, I rubbed my now-bruised limbs and got to my feet. I was in the middle of a small, but active city. My heart rate quickened, as I let my eyes took in my surroundings, frantic and confused. I wondered if this was the city of Velaris, the one that I was overlooking from the balcony last night.

It took me a moment to realize that there was a guy, who seemed to be around my age, standing over me. "Are you all right?" He asked me, helping me to my feet. "You came out of nowhere." He studied me from head to toe, focusing on the clothing that I was wearing that must have been unfamiliar to him. I, too, studied him: his handsome features, his elaborate clothing that was unlike what I had seen the Inner Circle wearing…

"Hello?" He asked, begging for a response, and waving his hand in front of my face.

I snapped back into reality… or… whatever this was. "Y-yeah," I responded, "I think I'm all right." I looked around at the surroundings. This was definitely not the starlit city that I'd witnessed last night. It was not as large. And it was significantly hotter and brighter wherever I was now. "Where am I?" I asked, rubbing my forehead.

He stared at me incredulously. "Where do you _think_ you are?" He asked, suspicious.

"I don't _know_ ," I responded, my annoyed frustration seeping through my tone, "That's why I asked."

He rolled his eyes. " _You're_ the one who winnowed here," He muttered under his breath. "You'd think that someone who is capable of that kind of magic would _at least_ know where they are going." He began to walk away, leaving me in the street.

Winnowed. That was a new term. I wondered if that was why I kept ending up in unfamiliar places.

I hurried after him, in pursuit of answers. "I did _what?"_ I asked him. He kept walking. "Excuse me, I-I'm not from here. I'm just looking for some answers."

He stopped, and faced me, his expression leaking annoyed resentment. is Astrid." I extended my hand to shake his, and when he looked at me as though I had three heads, I withdrew it, chalking it up to my obvious culture shock.

His eyes widened. "Astrid," He said, "As in Astrid from the _Night Court_?" He said this in a low voice, and looked around at the peaceful street to see if anyone had heard him. The coast had been clear.

I wasn't sure. I complied anyway, as a wild guess. "Y-yeah, I think that's me,"

"You can't be here," He said curtly, fear stretching across his face.

"I-I don't understand," I replied.

He didn't seem to listen. He frantically led me into a nearby alley, a more covert location. "You have to go back to where you came from before anyone knows that you're here," He seemed to position his body as if to hide me from the people walking by on the street.

"Believe me, I _want_ to go back to where I came from. Ironically, I prefer to know where I am," I whispered back to him, "But I don't know how,"

"You winnowed here," He exclaimed quietly, "Just winnow back!" He seemed to be filled with fear.

I looked at him, puzzled. Now I was freaking out too. " _I. don't. know. What. That. Means_." I articulated, pronouncing each word clearly despite my fear.

He sighed. "I don't believe you," He said but his softened expression made me believe that he did. "What kind of trick are you trying to pull? Did the Night Court send you on another one of their dirty missions?"

I was taken aback. Dirty missions. What did he mean by _that?_

Suddenly, I remembered what Rhysand had explained to me last night: _We are not horrible creatures,_ he had said, _But to keep all of this safe, we need to make it seem as though we are to outsiders._

Wow, was I in trouble. I couldn't even imagine what this guy must have thought I was here to do.

"I promise you," I told him firmly, "I am not up to no good. I didn't know I was even capable of… of…" I forgot the word.

"Winnowing," He filled the word in for me, still masking his fear and sympathy with a hard exterior.

"Yes," I confirmed. "I don't know where I am, and I just want to go back home," I looked at him meaningfully, hoping that he would help me. I was close to tears, and he could se it.

He laughed callously his nerves bleeding through his tough front. "No," He said, "I am _not_ bringing you back to the Night Court,"

So he thought I'd meant the Night Court. I'd actually meant Pennsylvania. Regardless, I figured I would take what I could get.

" _Please,"_ I said in a soft voice, gently grasping his hand. "I promise that if you help me find my way back, I won't bother you ever again."

"You make a lot of promises," He said slowly, calculated, the gears turning in his head.

I waited in suspense for him to reply, until he finally agreed to take me back. "Follow me," He instructed and he led me silently through the back passages of the town until we were entered a small forest.

"I will winnow us right outside the border of the Night Court," He said firmly, "But I can't go any further. I'm not in the mood to fight to the death today."

I shuddered. I didn't know that this feud existed, much less was this serious. "I appreciate this more than you know," I told him quietly.

He didn't respond. He just kept walking silently, leading us deeper and deeper into the forest.

I felt like I needed to carry some type of conversation. That was etiquette, right? At least where I came from, it was. "I didn't get your name," I said quietly, struggling to catch up with his fast pace.

He sighed, and without looking back at me, responded. "Tristan," He responded, "Son of Tarquin, High Lord of the Summer Court,"

Summer Court. I'd never heard of it. "So that's where I am?" I asked, "The Summer Court?"

That wasn't too bad, I figured. Summer was my favorite season after all. It was the best time to look at the stars.

He looked at me with a softened expression, almost as if he felt bad for me. "You really have no idea, do you?"

I shook my head. "I've only been in this world for a few days," I confessed, "I come from this place called Pennsylvania. There's no magic there. I almost died in a horrific accident, but somehow I ended up here in this world instead,"

He looked at me like I was crazy.

"I swear I'm not lying." I watched him studying me, and I immediately wished I didn't sacrifice so much information. It was already so blatantly clear that I was extremely vulnerable and utterly defenseless. "I ended up here by mistake."

"I believe you," He said, to my great surprise. "You know, you're not actually so bad," He added, and then smiled. "If your parents hadn't stolen from us, we could have actually have been friends…"

I stared at him blankly. Stolen? I had no idea what he was even talking about.

"I'm guessing you didn't know about that either," He said shrugging.

I nodded. "I do know," I said quietly, "That assuming that others are inherently bad is an extremely dangerous habit." I didn't even know where this was coming from. "I don't know about Prythian," I continued, surprised that I recalled the name of this strange land, "But where I come from, fearing others based on what you think they might be causes a lot of problems."

"I'm not afraid of you," Tristan responded quickly, a knee jerk reaction. And then he thought about my words. "But yes," He eventually murmured quietly, "I-I agree,"

"Thank you," I said confidently, as Tristan continued to stare at me. There was a sort of compassion and longing in his eyes. My heart couldn't help but flip. What was happening to me?

As we both looked away at the same time, I noticed that he was blushing. "This grudge we're all holding against each other are stupid," He explained. "Your parents are mad because supposedly the King of Hybern had killed you…" He glanced back at me, "Apparently that wasn't true," He noted, rubbing his temple, "My father is angry at your parents for stealing this book that I believe could have stopped this all," I watched him silently, waiting for any more knowledge that he was willing to share. "My father doesn't believe this. He doesn't trust the Night Court…"

"That's why I can't be here," I surmised. "Despite how I was raised in another realm, I'm still considered to be a part of the Night Court,"

I was only thinking out loud, but Tristan nodded anyway.

"That sucks," I said, and he laughed as though he'd never heard anyone exclaim that something 'sucked' before. "Can we be friends anyway?" I realized how naïve I sounded as the words left my mouth.

He smirked. "Yeah, I guess so," He responded, with a chuckle, "I don't think there's harm in that. Unless you try to decimate me once you actually learn how to use your magic," It was clearly a joke, but I didn't find it to be funny. My heart sank in my stomach.

"What do you mean by that?" I responded, trying to force a smirk, but I was completely serious and partly terrified.

"Astrid, your parents are the most powerful rulers in Prythian," He said this quietly and with reverence, still surprised that I wasn't already aware. "Your father has long held that distinction, until your mother died to save Prythian and was resurrected with magical gifts from all seven High Lords,"

My jaw had dropped. I was flabbergasted. "w-what…"

Tristan ignored my babbling and continued. "If you are truly their daughter…" He explained but stopped abruptly when I leaned over, clutching my stomach.

I was overcome with embarrassment having just vomited in front of an attractive guy that I had only just met, especially as he was telling me how powerful I supposedly was. When I had recovered, Tristan allowed me to lean on him as we walked along.

We reached a small cabin that was built in a clearing. "This is my home," Tristan told me as we approached it, "Well, when I'm not doing errands for my father..."

"I like it," I told him, "It seems to be very peaceful,"

He nodded. "No one ever dares to invade my privacy when I'm here," He informed me, "That is why I took you here, so that _you_ can figure out how to winnow us to the Night Court undisturbed."

"Why me?" I asked him, "You know I don't know what I'm doing. That's how I ended up here in the first place."

"I don't think I would physically be able to winnow into the Night Court," Tristan responded, "Because of our grudges," He reminded me.

I groaned and stood in the center of the clearing. I closed my eyes and squeezed my hands into fists; desperately attempting to re-create the magic I had mistakenly done this morning to no avail.

Tristan thought that this was one big joke. "Relax," He said in between his raucous laughter, "You're not going to be able to do it if you're so tense."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes once more.

"There you go," He instructed, "Now think about where you want to go, and _go there."_ He stepped away from me. "You're always welcome to come back here if you ever need anything," He assured me. He had too much faith in my ability to do magic.

I had a flashback of the Indian in the Cupboard movie: _"You should not do magic you do not understand!"_ Yet here, I was.

Feet rooted solidly on the ground, I imagined the shimmering lights of Velaris as seen from the House of Wind. I was filled with a comforting feeling. I willed myself with every fiber of my being to return there…to return _home._ And sure enough after traveling briefly along the hypothetical magical rope, I was there.

"It worked," I said aloud to myself, in awe at what I had just done. I picked myself off of the floor of the balcony and looked around. Mor was staring at me, with her eyes wide, awestruck.

" _Where did you come from_?" She asked me urgently.

I knew that I couldn't think of where I had been or someone might pick it out of my brain. "Uh…I don't exactly know," I said uneasily, "I don't know why I keep ending up in strange places," The frustration I expressed when saying this was real and raw.

"What happened?" She asked me, touching my shoulder as if to comfort me.

"I-I'm not sure," I responded, "I was sitting on my bed with Feyre and Rhysand and things got awkward… and the next thing I knew… I was on the ground in some place I've never been before."

Mor sighed. "They'll be happy to hear that you've returned without hurting yourself."

I nodded. "I'm happy about that too," I responded sincerely.

In that moment, for some unknown reason, I thought of Tristan. I wondered if he was also thinking of me.

 **Hi lovely readers! I'm so pumped that ACOWAR is coming out next week! I'm planning on continuing this story after reading it, and hopefully incorporating wherever it goes into this fanfic... given my poetic license. Thank you for all of your kind reviews! Let me know what you'd like to see next as I continue to work on this :) Also, I'd like to thank you for your patience. I am finishing college and I am swamped but I think about this story a lot!**


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